Hey Guys,

I was just messing around with the list builder on my mobile and came up with the following list:

Krassis Trelix - 36

+ HLC - 7

Whisper - 32

+Veteran Instincts - 1

+Recon Specialist - 3

+Advanced Cloaking Device - 4

Dark Curse - 16

The plan is to just let the firespray and TIE fighter mess around in mid-range with the enemy while Whisper does her thing by herself.

Aside from the usual request for feedback, could I just ask as to whether Stygium Particle Accelerator of Advanced Cloaking Device would make a better choice for Whisper? I'm pretty new to the game, and have yet to try out a Phantom for the first time, so I'm not really familiar with the inner workings of using the Phantom.

Thanks!

Well, the difference between Stygium Particle Accelerator and Advanced Cloaking Device is the first provides more immediate defense and the second provides greater mobility (it also provides defense against stuff that shoots after you). So basically, Advanced Cloaking Device is better when you want the mobility, and because the free cloak adds +2 green dice, its more useful when you have high Pilot Skill (because there's greater likelihood that enemies will shoot after you and you get the benefit of those extra green dice).

Most people run Advanced Cloaking Device on Whisper and Echo (and usually put veteran instincts on them to push their pilot skills as high as possible to get the most out of the free cloak).

Stygium Particle Accelerator is almost always run on Sigmas. The gauranteed evade token that you get each time you cloak or decloak provides them with reliable defense against enemies with higher pilot skill (whereas Advanced Cloaking Device would not).

Shadow Squadron is a bit of a corner case---they can go either way---i think it depends on the overall makeup of your local meta and what exactly you want them to do in your list.

One thing that might be obvious but is worth noting: Advanced Cloaking Device is useless if you don't get to shoot! So remember, always make sure your phantoms will have a target in their firing arcs. This is another reason why its helpful to run it on high Pilot Skill: pretty much everything moves first, so you know the location of enemies and don't have to guess to get them in arc (barrel roll giving you some arc-adjustment if needed).

As to your list itself, I'm not a big fan of Krassis. I find he can do alright in jousting situations, but really struggles against arc-dodgers and fat turrets that can boost (like most decimators, YT-1300's and YT2400's). He really benefits from engine upgrade and/or Recon specialist. I prefer a cheap bounty hunter with perhaps just one upgrade: tactician, recon specialist, engine upgrade or maybe a proximity mine could all be useful.

Recon Spec is not terrible on Whisper, but since she often gets a free focus, you end up having more than you need sometimes. Although having said that, the rise of Twin Laser Turrets make Recon Specialist a more compelling choice. If you don't see a lot of twin lasers, I think rebel captive is better on Whisper, although ultimately I am a big fan of the 'buzzsaw Whisper': Veteran Instincts, Gunner, FCS and advanced cloaking device. Of course, you don't have the points for that without drastically changing up your list...

I ran buzzsaw Whisper in the US nationals at gencon this year. Phantoms were definitely not well represented. I only saw one other player using a phantom (along with a decimator). Not sure which pilot it was. There may have been other phantoms, but I don't recall seeing any. In other words, they have gone out of 'fashion' of late. I think the new decloak rules have scared a lot of people away from the phantom, but also, there are some pretty commonly used cards that are real phantom killers. Rebel Captive and Vader crew on decimators, PS10 Corran Horn and high PS proton rockets (Jake and soon Vader too). For that reason, its not an easy time for phantoms. I've kind of thrown in the phantom towel for now as well. In my list, I've dropped Whisper in favour of Vader and I really like the change. Vader is less predictible, offers similar firepower and is not as vulnerable to stress. I'm also thinking the rise of Twin Laser Turrets are going to be another good counter for phantoms so I'm doubtful they will find a place in the new meta...